Tuesday, January 15, 2008

a NEW new year's resolution, plus feeling heartened and mold combat

Original New Year's Resolution One: Vegan until Jan 31st while I search for the most local, ecofriendly treats to put in our bodies.

NEW New Year's Resolution: NO MORE TABLOID READING, this includes gym and grocery store aisle. It helps keep me intellectually stunted and distracted from the actual issues that face our nation. Namely, our government and corporations contempt for human happiness and wellbeing. (Resolution One still stands too)

Countries in gray have no national health care. Wow, we're in great company.

I've decided I'm trending to be a one issue voter. Give me a candidate with the best health care policy and (sorry Kucinich) the best chance of actually making it happen and that's my guy/girl.

I stayed awake late last night mulling over things I am against. I woke up this morning and drove to work before realizing I need to mull over things that I'm for.

So here we go...1. I'm for paying taxes that support the sick rather than war

2. I'm for one year paid maternity leave for women because setting children out on a healthy nurtured path in life is about the most important job I can conceive

3. I'm for high quality free universal day care

4. I'm for heavily subsidized university tuition

5. I'm for longer vacations and a shorter (more productive) work week

6. I'm for cabinet posts on climate change, arts and sustainability

Now to downshift from the radical to the more mundane. (I know boooooo, but then again I can't save the world if I can't manage to save my own home)

I'm looking for good, non-toxic cleaning solution suggestions. See, I live in a tree house in a tight tropical valley that gets minimal direct sun. This means we see a lot of greenery, including of the mold variety.

Yesterday morning Nick woke up coughing, and coughing, and coughing and I realized there is something insidious in our home. Last night armed with a mask, gloves and spray bottle of boric acid I found the source. Beneath our innocuous bedroom bookshelf was Battleship Toxic Mold. This black death bubbled away happily during our three week absence and yesterday we had an epic battle. Darth vs. Luke? That had nothing on this. I emerged victorious but would like to switch my weaponry to something a little less questionable.

2 comments:

I like your list here! May I suggest that "one year paid maternity leave for women" be changed to include paternity leave as well? Lots of men (my husband included) would love to be more involved in those first months/years of childrearing if "the system" (which gave me three months of paid maternity leave and awarded him ONE DAY of paid paternity leave) would support it.